Wringer for washing machines



H. W. EDEN.

WRINGER FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I3, 1917- Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. J

A4571 /0 [4/ Ede/1 Atty.

H. W. EDEN. WRINGER FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPI'JATION FILED AUG. I3. 1917.

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HAROLD W. EDEN, OF ALTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

GILLESPIE-EDEN CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

WRINGER FOR WASHING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7,1922.

Application filed August 13, 1917. Serial No. 185,895.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HAROLD WV. EDEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a \Vringer for Washing Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates more particularly to an adjustably mounted power driven wringer mechanism for use in combinationwith a washing machine, and is shown and described, but not claimed, in my Patent No. 1,387,696, patent for a washing machine drive, dated August 16th, 1921.

This invention further relates to an improved arrangement and construction of a driving mechanism for the clothes drum and adjustable wringer of a washing machine whereby either one may be operated independently of the other, and with the drive shaft for the clothes drum of the machine reversed automatically during its operation. Furthermore, a releasable driving means is provided whereby in the event of the clothes drum or the adjustably mounted wringer becoming jammed, said means will permit slippage of the parts until the power can be turned off, thus protecting the mechanism from damage.

It is an object of this invention therefore to construct a driving mechanism for the parts of the washing machine embracing a reversing gear mechanism for the clothes drum, as well as a reversible drive for an adjustably mounted wringer, and with the parts of the reversible drive adapted to cease operation in the event of jamming of the wringer or clothes drum mechanisms to prevent damage to the parts.

It is also an object of this invention to construct a power driven washing machine wherein the driving means for a clothes drum and an adjustably mounted wringer are encased and mounted near the upper end of one side of the machine, and withthe driving means for the clothesdrum being entirely automaticin operation after the circuit to the driving motor is closed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a power driven washing machine having a reversible wringer adjustably mounted thereon.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide a power driven washing machine having encased driving means mounted upon one side thereof adapted to continuously operate a wringer shaft when the power is turned on, said wringer shaft having a manually controlled reversing mecha nism thereon adapted to control the direction of rotation of the wringer rolls of a wringer which is pivotally mounted upon the washing machine and provided with latching means to prevent adjustment of the wringer while it is under operation of the power drive.

It is an important object of this invention to construct an improved and compact driving mechanism for a washing machine with all the parts easily accessible, and mounted upon the upper end of one side of the frame of the washing machine to impart a drive to the clothes drum or an adjustably mounted wringer of the machine alternately or simultaneously independently of one another, as desired.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosure in the drawings and specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a washing machine showing a wringer mechanism emwith a coupling 10, pinned thereon.

ing of the driving mechanism broken away and shown in section to illustrate the arrangement of the parts.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the washing machine showing the operation of the wringer in dotted lines.-

Figure 8 is an enlarged'detail view taken on line 8-8, of Figure 6, with parts omitted Figure 9, and shows the clutch shifting block and its support which is mounted in this portion of the casing.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary detail section showing the main drive shaft and friction releasing clutch which are driven by the motor.

Figure 12 is a section taken on line 1212, of Figure 9, with parts shown in elevation.

Figure 13 is an enlarged section taken on line 13-13, of Figure 12.

As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral 1, indicates the frame of a washing machine having a tub 2, of any usual or well known construction fitted therein, and with the driving mechanism for the machine mounted on one side of the frame. Mounted upon a bracket 3, which is secured upon the frame of the machine is a driving motor 4, and the drive shaft of said motor, denoted by the reference numeral 5, leads into a tubular casing 6, is connected upon theboss extension of a large base or casing 7, forming a part of or secured upon the frame of. the washing machine and provided with an L-shaped cover plate 8, as shown in Figure 3. Said casing 7, is provided with an inwardly projecting extension 8", as shown in Figure 6, affording a bearing for one end of a shaft 9, and the other end of said shaft extends through the wall of the casing 7, through a bearing provided therefor, and is provhed e. cured in the coupling 10, is a short shaft section 11, which is pinned to a long coupling shaft or member 12, and pinned in the other end thereof is another short shaft section 13, which is secured in a coupling 14, pinned upon the motor drive shaft 5.

Secured upon the shaft 9, as shown in Figures 8 and 11, is a disk 15, and pivoted thereon are two arms 16, mounted on pintles 17 At the opposite ends of each of said arms 16, fnom the pintles 17, tension springs 18, are connected between said arms. Said arms are adapted to be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force, thereby thrusting a serrated or roughened clutch surface 19, into contact with the inner periphery of a clutch wheel 20, which is secured upon a sleeve 21,

journalled on theshaft 9, the tension springs 18, serving to resist the outward movement of said arms.

Formed integral with the sleeve 21, is a pinion 22. J ournalled upon a stud shaft secured in an extension of the frame casing 7, is a large gear 23, meshing with the pinion 22, and rigidly associated with said gear 23,

is a small pinion 24. Said pinion 24, meshes with a large gear 25, journalled horizontally in the lower portion of the casing 7. J ournalled upon the shaft 26, are a pair of pinions, 27 and 28, respectively, each meshing with a large bevel gear 29, which is secured upon a shaft 30, extending through a bearing 31, in the casing 7, into the tub 2, of

the washing machine for connection to the clothes drum (not shown) therein. Feathered upon the shaft 26, between the pinions 27 and 28, is a slidable jaw clutch member 32, adapted to engage with either of the complementary jaws provided on the extensions of the pinions 27 and 28, to lock the same to the drive shaft 26, and thereby drive the bevel gear 29. When the jaw clutch member 32, is in the intermediate or neutral position shown in Figure 6, it is out of engagement with both of the pinions 27 clutch shifting mechanisms, dated Aprih 8th, 1919, and hence the details of construction will not be entered into here since they form no part of the present invention.

The shifting arm or, lever for the jaw clutch member 32, is slightly different from that shown in the application above mentioned, and in the present instance, is denoted by the reference numeral 33. arm is provided with an extension 34, which fits around the slidable member 32, and the end of the yoke is provided with a recess to receive a spring impelled pin 35, engaged therewith to hold said shifting arm 33, .in neutral position. The pin 35, extends into abearing provided therefor in the cover plate 8, and at its outer end is provided with a handle or crank 36, with a camprojection or extension 37, adapted to coact with an inclined cam portion 38, of the cover plate 8, so that by a rotational adjustment of the handle 36, the portion 37 rides upwardly on the cam portion 38, thereby retracting the pin 35, against the stress of the spring and releasingthe arm 33.

Secured upon the outer end of the'shaft 26, is a bevel pinion 39, meshing with a bevel Said "pinion 40, which is secured on the lower end of a shaft 41, extending upwardly within. the casing. The shaft 41, extends into an adjustable support or housing 42, pivotally mounted upon the upper end of the casing 7, and supported at one side of the housing upon a frame bracket or arm 43, is a power driven wringer 44. The housing 42, together with the wringer, is limited in its different adjusted positions upon the upper end of the casing 7, by means of a lever 45, pivoted on one side thereof with the lower end 46, of the lever shaped to permit the same to engage in any one of a plurality of notches 47, formed in a top plate 48, of the casing 7, as clearly shown in Figures 12 and 13, to hold said housing 42, and the wringer 44,.in different adjusted positions. The lever 45, is normally held in engaging position by a spring impelled detent 49, mounted in the side wall of the adjustable housing. Feathered upon the upper end of the shaft 41, within the housing 42, is a slida-ble jaw clutch element 50, adapted to interlock with either one of two bevel pinions or gears 51 and 52, respectively, journalled upon said shaft 41, within the housing 42. Each of the bevel pinions 51 and 52, meshes with a bevel gear 53, secured upon a shaft 54, journalled through the side wall of the housing 42, and to which one of thewringer roll shafts 55, is connected by means of a coupling 56.

When the clutch member 50, is in either one of its engaged positions, the periphery thereof is so disposed as to prevent inward movement of the spring detent 49, whereby the lever 45, is held against movement into a release or unlatching position so that it is obvious that no adjustments of the housing 42, can be made while the wringer is un-, der the operation of the power drive.

Journalled through the side wall of the housing 42, is a shaft 57 as shown in Figure 9, provided with an actuating handle 58, on the outer end thereof, and on its inner end provided with an eccentric pin 59, on which is journalled a block 60, for engagement with the central peripheral groove of the slidable clutch member 50. Adjustments of the handle 58, serve to shift said clutch member 50, into engagement with either one of the pinions 51 and 52, or into a neutral position therebetween when the lever 58, is in the upright position shown in Figure 9. A spring detent 61, is provided mounted in an extension of the housing 42, to coact with the lower end of the lever 58, as shown in Figure 9, to hold the same in neutral position.

The operation is as follows:

The drive for the washing machine is received from the motor 4, through the shaft assembly 12-9, to the disk wheel 15, and through the centrifugally actuated friction' arms 16, to the clutch wheel 20. The pinion 22, rigidly associated with the clutch wheel 20, in turn drives the large gear 23, which, with the pinion 24, rigidly associated therewith, drives the large gear 25, on the shaft 26. The shaft 26, serves to transmit a drive through the reversing gear mechanism to the clothes drum within the tub 2, and also to the upright wringer shaft 41- When the lever 36, is moved into the position shown in Figure 3, the pin 35, engages with the yoke arm 34, of the shifting lever 33, holding the same in neutral position and preventing engagement of the slidable clutch member 32, with either of the pinions 27 and 28, so that no drive is imparted to'the clothes drum..

The upright wringer shaft 41, is driven continuously with the shaft 26, and the wringer may be driven at the option of the operator by swinging the clutch lever 58, in

one position or the other to drive the wringer in either direction, by throwing the clutch element 50, into engagement with either one of the pinions 51 or 52, disposed within the adjustably mounted housing 42, thus transmitting a rotary motion to the wringer rolls. The direction of rotation of said wringer rolls may be reversed by simply moving the lever 58, to its other extreme position. When the clutch element 50, is engaged with either one of the pinions 51 or 52, the periphery thereof is disposed to prevent inward movement of the spring detent 49, thus holding the lever 45, againstmovement int-o a release or unlatching position so that while the lower end 46, of the lever 45, is engaged in one of the notches in the top plate 48, of the casing 7, no adjustments of the housing 42, can be made while the wringer is under the operation of the power drive. Inorder to adjust or swin the wringer 44, the lever 58, must be moved into a vertical or neutral position, engaged by the spring detent 61, which tends to hold the same in neutral position, and permitting the inner end of the detent 49, to engage in the groove of the clutch element 50, by moving the upper end of the lever45, toward the housing 42, thereby simultaneously disengaging the lower end 46, of said lever from engagement with one of the notches 47, of the plate 48, and allowing saidlower end 46, of the lever to engage the periphery ofthe plate 48, in which position the upper end of the lever 45, holds the detent 49, in engagement wit-h the clutch 50, thus prevent-- ing operation of the wringer. The housing 42, and the wringer 44, may now be swung through a horizontal angle to the position desired. The wringer mechanism and clothes drum mechanism may be operated simultaneously or independently of one another from the continuously driven shaft 26, when the detent 49, and the pin 35, are

in retracted position out of engagement with the respective clutch member 50, and the yoke arm 34. In the event of the wringer or clutch mechanisms becoming jammed during operation thereof, the mechanisms will not'be damaged for the reason that the clutch mechanism 1520, will slip when over-loaded to this extent.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the class described the combination of an adjustably mounted wringer, shiftable means for'controlling the operation of said wringer, and a lock adapted to hold the shiftable controlling means of the wringer in a predetermined position during adjustment of the wringer and adapted to automatically release said controlling means when the wringer reaches a predetermined position of adjustment.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of an adjustably mountedwringer, of shiftable means for controlling the operation of said wringer, a pivoted means forloclnng the wringer in position of adjustment and a member adapted to alternately lock the shiftable means and the pivoted means in position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with an adj ustably mounted wringer, of shiftable means for controlling the operation of said wringer, locking means for holding the aforesaid shiftable means in a predetermined position, and locking means for holding the wringer in positions of adjustment, both of said locking means bein t interconnected so that when either is locke the other is capable of being released.

4:. In a device of the character described, the combination of an adjustably mounted wringer, reversing mechanism therefor, means for locking the wringer in positions of adjustment, and a mechanism for locking the reversing mechanism in the neutral position actuated by the releasing operation of said locking means.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of an adjustably mounted wringer, reversing mechanism therefor. means for locking the reversing mechanism in the neutral position, and means for lock-- ing the wringer in position of adjustment and interconnected with the first mentioned locking means so that each locking means is in locking position when the other is released.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with an adj ustably mounted wringer, of a shiftable mechanism for controlling the operation of the wringer, a spring controlled member for controlling the operation of said shiftable mechanism, and locking means operable by said spring controlled member for holding the wringer in position of adjustment, said locking means being non-releasable when the shiftable mechanism is in a predetermined position for driving the wringer.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of an adjustable wringer, mechanism for operating the wringer in forward and reverse directions and shiftable to a neutral position to discontinue operation of.the wringer, locking means for holding the wringer in positions of adjustment, and slidable means for non-releasably holding said locking means in locked position when said mechanism is moved from the neutral position.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a wringer pivoted about a vertical axis, and a driving-member concentric with said axis, forloperating the same, of means for making and breaking the operative connection between said member and wringer, means for locking said wringer in fixed position relatively to said vertical axis, and means preventing the making of operative connections between said member and wringer except when said wringer is locked.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a base, a vertical shaft journaled therein, a wringer pivoted for movement about a vertical axis concentric with said shaft, means for locking said wringer against movement about such axis. clutch means between said wringer and shaft, and means for preventing the operation of said clutch means until said locking means has been brought to operative position.

10. In a laundry. .machine, in combination, a base, a vertical shaft journalled thereto, a driving motor geared to said shaft, a support pivoted to said base upon an axis concentric with said shaft, a wringer secured to said support and projecting laterally therefrom, means for securing said support immovably to said base, and means including a clutch, for connecting said shaft to said wringer, said means being so related that the second cannot be operated until after the first has been operated.

11., In combination a pair of hollow members pivoted together, a shaft concentric with the pivot axis andhaving a clutch associated therewith, a driven member journalled in one of said hollow members and adapted to be operated from said shaft when said clutch member is in engaging position, means for locking said first memhers together, and means preventing the engagement of said clutch when said members are unlocked.

12. The combination with a base, of a support adjustably arranged on the base, a driven shaft and a driving shaft both journalled in said support, gears loosely mounted on the driving shaft and cooperating with the driven shaft to move it in opposite directions, a clutch slidable on the driving shaft into selective engagement with said gears, a retaining device acting to hold the support in adjusted position on the base, and interlocking means between the retaining device and said clutch whereby disengagement of the retaining device from the base is permitted when the clutch is in neutral position and prevented when the clutch is engaged with one of said gears.

13. The combination with a base, of a support adjust-ably arranged on the base, a driven shaft on the support, a retaining device acting to hold the support in adjusted position on the base, and means cooperating with said retaining device and acting to prevent its disengagement from the base when the driven shaft is running and to permit such disengagement when the driven shaft is idle.

14. The combination with a base, of a support rotatably mounted on the base, a wringer supported on said support eccentrically with reference to said axis of rotation of the support, a power shaft supported on the base and connected with the wringer in line with the axis of rotation of said support, a clutch connection interposed between the power shaft and the wringer, and means for holding the support against rotation on the base, said means preventing the release of the support while the clutch is connecting the power shaft with the wringer.

15. The combination of a base, with a clothes wringer support rotatably mounted on the base, a driven shaft journalled'in the support, a driving shaft also arranged on the support, gearing connecting the driving shaft and driven shaft for moving the latter in either direction including oppositely arranged gears and a slidable clutch member movable selectively into engagement therewith, a retaining device acting to hold the support in adjusted position on the base, and locking means between said clutch member and retaining device acting to hold the latter engaged with the base when the clutch member is engaged and adapted to permit release of the retaining device when the clutch member is in neutral position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD W. EDEN. Witnesses:

FRED E. PAESLER,

CHARLES W. HILLS, Jr. 

